Legal Data/eDiscovery Program Manager

Role Overview

IBM is seeking an experienced eDiscovery Program Manager to serve as a subject-matter and operational expert within IBM’s global eDiscovery function. Reporting to the Global eDiscovery Senior Manager, this role is responsible for the day-to-day execution of the full eDiscovery lifecycle across IBM’s litigation, investigations, and other matters, ensuring work is delivered consistently and in accordance with IBM policies.

Key Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary point of contact for assigned matters, providing guidance on collections, processing, review workflows, analytics, and productions.
• Manage the full eDiscovery lifecycle, including legal hold, preservation, collection, processing, hosting, review, production, and matter closeout, in alignment with IBM policies and standards.
• Advise outside counsel and internal teams on eDiscovery best practices, corporate data architecture, cross-border data privacy requirements, and internal policy standards.
• Partner with internal and external counsel on meet-and-confer preparations, ESI protocol negotiations, search/review strategy development, and production specifications.
• Identify, escalate, and communicate risks and issues across the eDiscovery lifecycle, including collection gaps, processing anomalies, review quality concerns, and production errors.
• Maintain rigorous matter documentation, timelines, and status updates to ensure transparency, defensibility, and effective stakeholder communication.
• Remain informed of regulatory changes, eDiscovery case law, and industry trends, and incorporate relevant legal and technical developments into program operations.
• Assess matters for the appropriate use of analytics, TAR/CAL, and other advanced review workflows.
• Maintain working knowledge of vendor platforms and support legal teams in their effective use.
• Evaluate and pilot emerging AI-enabled workflows and technologies to improve program effectiveness.
• Drive continuous improvement by updating internal eDiscovery processes, playbooks, and best-practice documentation.
• Optimize vendor performance and cost-efficiencies by monitoring service level agreements (SLAs), managing eDiscovery budgets, and implementing cost-control strategies across external spend.
• Help design and deliver training on eDiscovery obligations, technical processes, and platform use for legal and business stakeholders.

Preferred Education and Experience

• Doctorate Degree
• 6+ years of eDiscovery program management experience, gained in-house, at a law firm, consultancy, or eDiscovery service provider.
• Deep, hands-on knowledge of the full eDiscovery lifecycle and workflows, including legal hold, preservation, collection, processing, review, production, and data disposition.
• Significant experience interacting with and advising senior stakeholders, outside counsel, and cross-functional partners.
• Hands-on proficiency with one or more leading eDiscovery platforms such as Relativity, Nuix, Hanzo, Reveal, or Everlaw.
• Experience with global eDiscovery matters spanning multiple jurisdictions, data privacy regimes (e.g., GDPR), and cross-border production challenges.
• Experience with TAR/CAL workflows, predictive analytics, and AI-driven document review methodologies.
• Familiarity with modern enterprise productivity platforms and cloud-based data sources (e.g., Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, Slack, Teams).
• Deep understanding of the Electronic Discovery Reference Model (EDRM) and eDiscovery industry best practices.
• Familiarity with AI-assisted review tools and a demonstrated desire to continue learning emerging AI methodologies.

Technical and Professional Skills

• Strong project and time management skills with the ability to prioritize, solve problems, and meet deadlines under pressure.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with a demonstrated ability to communicate technical specifics to non-technical audiences.
• Hightly organized, with strong judgment and the ability to work independently in a fast-paced environment.
• Ability to quickly learn new processes and systems and apply that knowledge effectively across matters.
• Strong ethical standards and a commitment to compliance.
• Ability to support global teams, including occasional flexibility outside standard business hours when needed.

Preferred Technical and Professional Experience

• Project management or eDiscovery accreditations such as PMP, ACEDS, or RCA.